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Frankie Muniz is looking back at a friendship that faded more than two decades ago.
The actor recently shared that he hasn’t spoken to Hilary Duff in 22 years, ever since they worked together on the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks.
Speaking on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Muniz said things became complicated after Duff’s mother allegedly played a major role in getting her cast in the movie.
He explained that he and Duff were close as teenagers, with their careers taking off around the same time. He even appeared as himself on an episode of her Disney Channel series, Lizzie McGuire.
“We became really, really good friends. We had a really great relationship for a long time,” he recalled.
He said one day on the Lizzie McGuire set, he was chatting in Duff’s dressing room when her mom began asking about his upcoming summer plans.
Muniz told her he was starring in a movie where he would play a “junior James Bond.”
According to Muniz, Duff’s mom then asked about the film’s female lead. At the time, he believed the studio was leaning toward casting Kristin Kreuk. But by the next morning, he said Duff’s mother had surprising news.
He remembered her saying, “Guess what? We’re going to be spending the summer together… she’s doing ‘Cody Banks’ with you… They signed the contract last night.”
Muniz admitted he was caught off guard, thinking, “The movie you knew nothing about yesterday?” He said he had assumed he’d have some influence over who would star opposite him.
When he contacted his agents, they confirmed calls had been made and casting moved forward. The team assumed he’d be fine with the choice because of how close he and Duff were.
“Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled about it. And not because I didn’t want it to be Hilary,” he said. He chose his words carefully, adding, “I don’t know how much I want to say… I’ve already said way too much.”
Muniz said the tension impacted their relationship on set.
“I was very sad when Hilary’s mom would come on set… And if I told you I’ve never talked to Hilary since the last day of filming. I’ve not said one word to her since then.”
The experience still weighs on him. Muniz admitted that he wishes he hadn’t let the situation come between them.
“I regret not just continuing to be friends with her because we had a great friendship for such a long time, and I let her mom… it pissed me off,” he said.
He hopes they can reconnect someday, adding that Duff may not even know what happened behind the scenes.
Agent Cody Banks was released in March 2003 and earned nearly $60 million worldwide. Muniz returned for the sequel in 2004, but Duff did not.
Looking back, Muniz said he would “love to catch up with her,” especially now that time has passed.
